ICO takes action for failure to pay new data protection fee
The ICO has begun formal enforcement action against 34 organisations that have failed to pay the new data protection fee. The news fee regime under the 2018 Data Protection Act introduced three different tiers depending on the size and turnover of the organisation, the largest ones paying a fee of £2,900. Failure to pay the data protection fee is now a civil offence under the GDPR, with the largest fine being £4,350.
Paul Arnold, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at the ICO said: “We expect the notices we have issued to serve as a final demand to organisations and that they will pay before we proceed to a fine. But we will not hesitate to use our powers if necessary. All organisations that are required to pay the data protection fee must prioritise payment or risk getting a formal letter from us outlining enforcement action.”
The ICO says that the 34 notices of intent were sent in September to a range of organisations across both the public and private sector including the NHS, recruitment, finance, government and accounting.